Oral pouch product with flavored wrapper

ABSTRACT

Provided is an oral pouch flavor product with a fibrous flavored wrapper that encloses an inner filling material. Preferably, the fibrous flavored wrapper includes embedded flavorants. The fibrous flavored wrapper may also include a softening agent, colorants, and/or browning inhibitors. The inner material may include non-tobacco, plant material fibers and preferably has a low moisture content so as to prevent the need for preservatives or refrigeration.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S.Provisional Application No. 60/903,848, filed on Feb. 28, 2007, theentire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Typical oral pouch products include a paper or fabric pouch materialenclosing tobacco or other food grade materials. The enclosed tobacco orother material provides flavor as the user sucks or manipulates thepouch, saliva mixes with the enclosed materials, and the flavors leachout of the pouch through pores.

Generally, the paper or fabric pouch does not have good flavor or mouthfeel and is unsatisfying until saliva and juices from the enclosedmaterial are released.

In addition, many pouch products have a moisture content that causes theproduct to require preservatives and/or refrigeration in order tomaintain freshness. Refrigeration can be inconvenient and the use ofpreservatives is unattractive to many consumers.

Thus, there remains a need in the art for an oral product having afabric or paper pouch that provides immediate oral gratification, and alow moisture content to prevent the need for refrigeration or the use ofpreservatives.

SUMMARY

Provided is an oral pouch product with a single layer, flavored wrapper.In a preferred embodiment, the oral pouch product includes a fibrous,flavored wrapper for enclosing an inner material. Preferably, the innerfilling material includes a fibrous non-tobacco, plant material that isenclosed in the pouch. Once the flavor of the product has been consumed,the fibrous flavored wrapper is removed from the mouth and discarded.

Preferably, the fibrous flavored wrapper is made of a paper and/orfabric. Preferably, the fibrous flavored wrapper is non-disintegrableand/or non-dissolvable. Also preferably, the fibrous flavored wrapperallows the flavors of the inner filling material to leach out into theuser's mouth as the user sucks and manipulates the oral pouch product.

In an embodiment, the paper and/or fabric is heat sealable so that oncea portion of the inner filling material is placed on a first portion ofthe fibrous flavored wrapper, a second portion of the fibrous flavoredwrapper can be positioned over the first portion of the flavoredwrapper. The first portion and the second portion can be part of asingle layer of fibrous material (e.g., the first and second layers canbe part of a strip of paper of fabric or separate strips of suchmaterial). A seal, such as a heat seal or ultrasonic weld, is thenformed between the two portions of flavored wrapper around the innerfilling material. In another embodiment, the portions of flavored paperand/or fabric are adhered via adhesive or otherwise affixed together toform seams.

In a preferred embodiment, the fibrous flavored wrapper includesflavorants embedded therein that provide initial flavor to the userbefore the inner filling material mixes with saliva to release theflavors and juices from the inner filling material.

Preferably, the flavorants are applied to the fibrous pouch wrapper byspraying, coating, immersing, embossing, and/or dispersing. In anembodiment, the flavorants are added to the fibrous flavored wrapper inthe form of spray dried flavors, essential oils, encapsulated flavors,coacervated flavors, suspensions, and/or solutions.

Preferably, when the flavorants applied to the fibrous pouch wrapper areencapsulated (e.g., microencapsulated beads), the flavorants alsoinclude controlled release mechanisms such as pH change, heatactivation, or mechanical activation through manipulating or sucking. Inaddition, encapsulated flavorants can have coatings of variousthicknesses so that the flavorants are released at varying rates toprovide continuous flavor throughout use of the oral product.

In a preferred embodiment, the fibrous flavored wrapper also includes abrowning inhibitor that inhibits discoloration of the flavored wrappercaused by the inner filling material prior to use. In anotherembodiment, food grade colorants can be added to the fibrous flavoredwrapper to make a colored wrapper, apply patterns thereto, or identifythe flavor of the inner filling material and flavored wrapper.

Also preferably, the fibrous flavored wrapper includes a softening agentso as to soften the fibrous flavored wrapper and provide a morecomfortable mouth feel to the user. In an embodiment, the softeningagent is selected from the group consisting of humectants, flavoredoils, and combinations thereof.

In a preferred embodiment, the inner filling material includes fibrous,non-tobacco, plant material, which includes tea, spices, herbs,vegetables, food fibers, fruit and/or tea and botanical extracts.Preferably, the moisture content of the plant material is below about15% by weight so as to avoid the need for preservatives and/orrefrigeration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an oral pouch product having a flavoredwrapper.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a cross-sectional view of an oral pouchproduct having a flavored wrapper.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of an embodiment of an oral pouch product witha flavored wrapper.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of an embodiment of an oral pouch product witha flavored wrapper.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of another embodiment of an oral pouch productwith a flavored wrapper.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As described herein, an oral pouch product includes a single layer,fibrous flavored wrapper that forms a pouch. Preferably, the pouch isfilled with an inner filling material including a fibrous non-tobacco,plant material.

In a preferred embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the oral pouchproduct 10 includes a fibrous flavored wrapper 12. The fibrous flavoredwrapper 12 is formed into a pouch that contains an inner fillingmaterial and is sealed.

Preferably, the pouch product 10 has a rectangular or elliptical shape.Other preferred shapes for the pouch product 10 include any shapeselected from the group consisting of polygons, squares, rectangles,circles, ovals, heart, star, half-moon, crescent, leaf shapes, andcombinations thereof.

In a preferred embodiment, the oral pouch product is sized andconfigured to fit inside the mouth, between a user's cheek and gum.Preferably, a rectangular shaped oral pouch product 10 is about 20 mm toabout 35 mm long, about 10 mm to about 20 mm wide and about 3 mm toabout 6 mm thick. In a preferred embodiment, the elliptical shaped oralpouch product, as illustrated in FIG. 5, has a major axis of about 20 mmto about 35 mm and a minor axis of about 10 mm to about 25 mm.Preferably, the elliptical shaped oral pouch product is about 3 mm toabout 6 mm thick. The ellipse may be truncated along one or both axes.In a preferred embodiment, the oral product 10 weighs about 200 mg toabout 600 mg per pouch regardless of the shape of the pouch product.

The fibrous pouch wrapper 12 may be a fabric and/or paper such as filterpaper, papers used to construct tea bags, coffee filters, and the like.Preferably, the fibrous pouch material 12 is of the type suitable forcontact with food, such as materials used for packaging and/or handlingfoods. Also preferably, the pouch material 12 is porous so that flavorsand saliva can travel in and out of the pouch product 10 when in use.

In a preferred embodiment, the fibrous pouch wrapper 12 is heatsealable. Preferably, the inner filling material 16 is placed between afirst layer 30 and a second layer 32, as seen in FIG. 2, of the fibrouspouch wrapper 12. A seal 14 is formed between the two layers 30, 32around the inner filling material to form the pouch product 10.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the flavorants 18 are applied to the fibrouspouch wrapper 12 to provide immediate release of flavor once the oralflavor product 10 is placed in the user's mouth. Preferably, less thanabout 1 mg or up to about 100 mg of a flavorant 18 is added to thefibrous pouch material 12. Most preferably, the amount of flavor addedto the pouch is less than about 1% or up to about 5% by weight of thepouch contents. The amount of flavorant added can depend on the potencyof the flavorant being added.

Suitable flavorants 18 include any flavorants commonly used in foods,confections, or other oral products. Exemplary flavorants include, butare not limited to, berry flavors such as pomegranate, acai, raspberry,blueberry, strawberry, boysenberry, and/or cranberry. Other suitableflavorants include, without limitation, any natural or synthetic flavoror aroma, such as menthol, peppermint, spearmint, wintergreen, bourbon,scotch, whiskey, cognac, hydrangea, lavender, chocolate, licorice,citrus and other fruit flavors, such as apple, peach, pear, cherry,plum, orange, lime, grape, and grapefruit, gamma octalactone, vanillin,ethyl vanillin, breath freshener flavors, butter, rum, coconut, almond,pecan, walnut, hazelnut, french vanilla, macadamia, sugar cane, maple,cassis, caramel, banana, malt, espresso, kahlua, white chocolate, spiceflavors such as cinnamon, clove, cilantro, basil, oregano, garlic,mustard, nutmeg, rosemary, thyme, tarragon, dill, sage, anise, andfennel, methyl salicylate, linalool, jasmine, coffee, olive oil, sesameoil, sunflower oil, bergamot oil, geranium oil, lemon oil, ginger oil,balsamic vinegar, rice wine vinegar, and red wine vinegar.

Preferably, the flavorants are applied to the fibrous flavored wrapperby spraying, coating, immersing, embossing, and/or dispersing. In anembodiment, the flavorants are added to the fibrous pouch in the form ofspray dried flavors, essential oils, encapsulated flavors, coacervatedflavors, suspensions, and/or solutions.

In a preferred embodiment, when the flavorants are encapsulated, theflavorants also include controlled release mechanisms such as pH change,heat activation, or mechanical activation through manipulating orsucking. In addition, encapsulated flavorants can have coatings ofvarious thicknesses so that the flavorants are released at varying ratesto provide continuous flavor throughout use of the oral product.

When the flavorants are applied as suspensions or solutions, the innermaterial is dried after application of the flavorants to a moisturecontent of less than about 15% by weight of the inner material (e.g.less than about 14%, less than about 13%, less than about 12%, less thanabout 11%, less than about 10%, less than about 9%, less than about 8%,less than about 7%, less than about 6%, less than about 5%, less thanabout 4%, less than about 3%, less than about 2%, less than about 1%).Preferably, drying is avoided when volatile flavorants with vaporpressures close to or below that of the solvent, of the solution, areused so that the flavorants are maintained in the pouch material 12.

Most preferably, the amount of flavorant applied to the pouch is suchthat drying is unnecessary because the inner material is not wetted bythe flavorant. In an embodiment, the flavorant is applied to the fibrouspouch material prior to the insertion of the inner filling material toprevent wetting of the inner filling material.

Also preferably, the pouch contains fibrous plant material with acontrolled moisture content so that its water activity (aw) ispreferably below 0.65, but at least below 0.7 aw or a level determinedsufficient to prevent mold growth, this value typically ranging between0.6 aw and 0.7 aw.

In a preferred embodiment, the flavorants or other functional additivesare applied to the fibrous pouch wrapper without increasing the moisturecontent of the pouch and pouch filler. Additional moisture renders theproduct unstable against microbial growth by increasing its wateractivity to a point where mold or bacteria can grow, resulting in ashort life or the requirement the product contain preservatives or berefrigerated. Thus, it is preferred that the water activity level of theproduct is such that the product does not require preservatives orrefrigeration to maintain freshness.

In a preferred embodiment, the fibrous pouch material 12 also includes asoftening agent 20. Preferably, the softening agent 20 makes the pouchmaterial 12 soft and pliable to provide better comfort to the user uponinsertion in the mouth.

Suitable softening agents 20 include humectants, oils, and the like.Humectants include, without limitation, glycerin and propylene glycol.Oils include any flavored and/or natural oils such as, withoutlimitation, olive oil, sesame oil, peanut oil, coconut oil, corn oil,grapeseed oil, walnut oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, and/or sunfloweroil. In addition, oils that have been flavored with herbs may also beused as a softening agent 20. Preferably, the softening agent 20 is apleasantly flavored oil that provides an additional layer of flavor tothe user and/or acts as the flavorant. The softening agent 20 may beapplied to the pouch material 12 by spraying, coating, immersing,embossing, or any other technique.

Often, pouch products turn beige or brown over time due to the enclosedmaterial. Therefore, it is also preferable to treat the pouch material12 with a browning inhibitor 22 such as that used to prevent fruits fromturning brown. Preferred browning inhibitors 22 include, but are notlimited to, antioxidants, vitamin E, vitamin C, calcium chloride, sodiumhexametaphosphate, sodium bisulfite, and combinations thereof. Thebrowning inhibitor 22 may be applied to the pouch material 12 byspraying, coating, immersing, embossing, or any other technique.

In a preferred embodiment, coloring agents 24 are included in thefibrous pouch material 12. One or more coloring agents 24 may change thecolor of the pouch to create designs, patterns, a trademark, or tosignify pouch flavor. (i.e. purple to signify grape flavor) The coloringagent 24 may be used to dye the pouch material 12 or coloring agents 24can be printed onto the pouch material 12.

In a preferred embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the oral pouchproduct includes an inner material 16 enclosed within the fibrous pouchmaterial 12. Preferably, the inner material 16 includes non-tobacco,botanicals and/or non-tobacco botanical extracts.

As used herein, the term “botanical” includes anything derived fromplants including, but not limited to, extracts, leaves, fibers, stems,roots, seeds, flowers, fruits, pollen, and the like.

As seen in FIG. 3, the pouch product 10 can be in a half-moon shape andcan include a single sheet of pouch material 12 folded over to create afirst layer and a second layer with the inner material between thelayers. A single seal 14 can seal the inner material within the pouch10.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the pouch product 10 can be a circular pouch.The first layer and second layer can be separate pieces of pouchmaterial 12 with the inner material placed therebetween. A single seal14 circumscribes the enclosed inner material.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the pouch product 10 is an elliptical shapedpouch. The pouch is made of a fibrous material 12. Seals 14 around theperimeter of the pouch hold the inner material within. The pouchmaterial 12 includes flavorants 18, softening agents 20, browninginhibitors, 22 and/or coloring agents 24.

The examples provided below are exemplary and are not meant to limit anyaspects of the embodiments disclosed herein.

EXAMPLE 1

About 4 mg of flavorant was added to a paper pouch wrapper weighingabout 20 mg. About 450 mg of an inner material was placed inside thepouch. The pouch was sealed to hold the inner material within the pouch.

EXAMPLE 2

About 50 mg of canola oil was sprayed onto a paper pouch using anatomizer. The pouch weighed about 300 mg.

EXAMPLE 3

A solution of propylene glycol and 3 mg of flavorant was formed. Thesolution was added to a pouch material weighing about 20 mg. An innermaterial weighing about 450 mg was placed in the pouch. The pouch wassealed to retain the inner material within the pouch.

The pouch of Example 1 showed rapid release of flavor from the productupon initial placement in the mouth. The pouch of Example 2 wasnoticeably softer than the pouch of Example 1 due to the inclusion ofthe softening agent. The pouch of Example 3 used propylene glycol, asoftening agent, and flavorants so as to provide better flavor and asofter pouch.

While the foregoing has been described in detail with reference tospecific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to one skilled in theart that various changes and modifications may be made, and equivalentsthereof employed, without departing from the scope of the claims.

We claim:
 1. An oral pouch product comprising: a single-layer, fibrousflavored wrapper including at least one embedded flavorant; and an innerfilling material including non-tobacco, plant material fibers enclosedin said fibrous flavored wrapper, the inner filling material having amoisture content of less than about 15% by weight of the inner fillingmaterial, wherein said fibrous flavored wrapper includes a browninginhibitor so as to inhibit discoloration of the wrapper and the browninginhibitor is sodium hexametaphosphate.
 2. The oral pouch product ofclaim 1, wherein said fibrous flavored wrapper is made of paper and/orfabric.
 3. The oral pouch product of claim 1, wherein said fibrousflavored wrapper includes a softening agent so as to soften the fibrousflavored wrapper.
 4. The oral pouch product of claim 3, wherein saidsoftening agent is selected from the group consisting of humectants,flavored oils, and combinations thereof.
 5. The oral pouch product ofclaim 1, wherein said at least one flavorant is a flavored oil.
 6. Theoral pouch product of claim 1, wherein said fibrous flavored wrapperincludes colorants.
 7. The oral pouch product of claim 1, wherein saidinner filling material is tobacco-free and does not includepreservatives.
 8. The oral pouch product of claim 1, wherein said atleast one flavorant is in the form of spray dried flavors, essentialoils, encapsulated flavors, coacervated flavors, suspensions, and/orsolutions.
 9. The oral pouch product of claim 1, wherein said at leastone flavorant comprise microencapsulated beads providing controlledrelease of the flavorants.
 10. The oral pouch product of claim 1,wherein said at least one flavorant is added in an amount of about 0.1mg to about 100 mg per flavored wrapper and/or in an amount of about0.1% to about 5% by weight of the inner filling material.
 11. The oralpouch product of claim 1, wherein said pouch product weighs about 200 mgto about 600 mg.
 12. The oral pouch product of claim 1, wherein saidnon-tobacco, plant material fibers include tea, spice, herb, fruit,and/or vegetable fibers.
 13. The oral pouch product of claim 1, whereinsaid inner filling material has a water activity level in an amount ofabout 0.5 aw to about 0.75 aw.
 14. The oral pouch product of claim 1,wherein said oral pouch product is a rectangular shaped wrapper and hasa length of about 20 mm to about 35 mm, a width of about 10 mm to about20 mm, and a thickness of about 3 mm to about 6 mm.
 15. The oral pouchproduct of claim 1, wherein said oral pouch product is elliptical shapedand has a major axis of about 20 mm to about 35 mm, a minor axis ofabout 10 mm to about 25 mm, and a thickness of about 3 mm to about 6 mm,and wherein said elliptical shaped pouch is truncated along at least oneaxis.
 16. A method of making an oral pouch product comprising: forming aflavored wrapper by applying flavorants to a single-layer, fibrouswrapper; forming the flavored wrapper into a pouch; filling said pouchwith an inner filling material; and applying a seal around said innerfilling material to form an oral pouch product, wherein said innerfilling material includes non-tobacco, plant material fibers and whereinthe inner filling material has a moisture content of less than about 15%by weight of the inner filling material, wherein said fibrous flavoredwrapper includes a browning inhibitor so as to inhibit discoloration ofthe wrapper and the browning inhibitor is sodium hexametaphosphate. 17.The method of claim 16, wherein inner filling material is tobacco-freeand said flavorants are applied to said fibrous flavored wrapper byspraying, coating, immersing, embossing, and/or dispersing.